HDMS Najaden was a frigate in the Royal Danish-Norwegian Navy. She was commissioned in 1811 and originally carried 36 guns, later being upgraded to 42. She served briefly during the Gunboat War only seeing action once, when on 6 July 1812 the British ship of the line and the sank her during the Battle of Lyngør. The Battle of Lyngør effectively ended Denmark's involvement in the Napoleonic Wars.

Origin

During their occupation of Copenhagen in 1807, British forces destroyed a partially built Dano-Norwegian ship of the line by hacking away the supports so that the ship fell on her port side, which crushed most of her timbers. The starboard side was essentially intact however, and the Dano-Norwegians used these timbers to build a new frigate – the Najaden.

Career

During her entire short life, Najadens captain was the Danish naval officer Hans Peter Holm. Her maiden voyage on 29 February 1812 (a leap year) had been delayed by one day because the ship grounded whilst leaving Copenhagen harbour. She then dragged an anchor on arrival in Brekkestø, Norway, which led to rudder damage on rocks, which further delayed her entry on active service. Still, on this short voyage the ship had achieved a good average speed of ten knots. Then yet more early storm damage curtailed training of the crew.

Battle of Lyngør

thumb|Najaden on fire with her mast broken in the Battle of Lyngør, 1812.

Najadens captain, Hans Peter Holm, also commanded the squadron that consisted of the three brigs - Kiel, Lolland (or Laaland) and Samsøe. Eyeing an opportunity to enforce the blockade and break the back of Dano-Norwegian seapower, the British deployed the 64-gun third-rate ship-of-the-line and three brigs, the 18-gun Cruizer-class brig-sloop , 14-gun brig-sloop and the 14-gun gun-brig . Overall, the Danish recorded their losses as 300 men killed or wounded.

Notes

References

  • Najaden - The Frigate from the Norwegian Marine Museum
  • The original report from Captain Holm on the loss of Najaden (in Danish)
  • Individual record cards in Danish for ships of the Danish Royal Navy can sometimes be (April 2019) found on the internet at Orlogmuseet Skibregister. The Danish Naval Museum is building a new website at which details, drawings and models may be available. For individual ships already listed, including Najaden, see here .
  • Record card for the Najaden (1811) in Danish
  • Biography of Hans Peter Holm (in Norwegian)
  • Model of Najaden (1811)